There are 2 types of tortillas commonly found in Mexican cuisine: corn masa (dough) tortillas and white flour tortillas. Flour tortillas are easier to make because their ingredients are easy to locate in grocery stores, while corn tortillas require corn masa (dough) which can be difficult to find. Novice chefs also find it easier to make a Mexican tortilla using white flour because the dough needs less time to process and is easier to form into tortillas. Making tasty homemade flour tortillas only requires a few minutes of time to make a satisfying addition to your next Mexican meal.

Steps

1

Stir 2 cups of flour, 1.5 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. salt together in a large bowl. Blend well.

2

Add 4 to 6 tbsp. of lard or vegetable shortening and 3/4 cups of warm milk or water to the flour mixture. Use a fork or pastry knife to blend the ingredients. You'll know the mixture is well-blended when the dough sticks together. If the dough is crumbly, add 1 tsp. of shortening and blend until a soft mass can be formed in your hand.

3

Add liquid all at once and mix into dough by hand until it forms a soft ball. Take the ball out of the bowl and place onto a floured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes until the dough can hold a round shape.

4

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

5

Uncover the dough. Tear off a small piece and roll into a ball about 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. Continue creating balls until you use up the entire ball of dough. Place each ball on a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

6

Take 1 ball of dough and place onto a floured work surface. Flatten the ball with your hand into a disc, then use a rolling pin to further flatten. Roll out from the center as if you were making a pie crust. To give your tortillas a circular shape, roll the pin across the dough, lift, then give the dough 1 quarter turn. Roll again and make another 1 quarter turn. The finished tortilla will be about 8 inches (20.32 centimeter) in diameter. Cover your tortilla stack with plastic wrap.

7

Heat a cast iron skillet or pancake griddle (also known as a comal in Spanish). You'll know the surface is hot enough when you can sprinkle a water droplet onto it and the droplet moves across the surface.

8

Remove 1 tortilla from the stack and place it on the griddle. Keep the stack covered while you work.

Cook the tortilla for 30 seconds on 1 side until light brown spots appear and it puffs up. Flip over, then cook the other side for another 30 seconds.

9

Remove the tortilla from the griddle. Place in a tortilla warmer or wrap inside of 2 dish towels to keep warm. Continue cooking your Mexican tortillas until the stack is gone.

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Tips

Homemade Mexican tortillas made with this recipe will stay fresh in a plastic bag for 2 or 3 days when refrigerated. They can be reheated directly on your stove's gas burner or in a dry skillet.

Cooking heat may need to be adjusted based on how long it takes your first tortilla to cook. Ideally it should take about 1 minute total to cook both sides. If it takes longer, increase heat. If the tortilla cooks faster than 1 minute, decrease heat.